


Marinette's Not-So-Bad Day

by moonlitceleste



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Maribat - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27464488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlitceleste/pseuds/moonlitceleste
Summary: Timkonmari meet-cute!
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kon-El | Conner Kent, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Tim Drake & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Tim Drake/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 9
Kudos: 194





	Marinette's Not-So-Bad Day

Marinette was not having a good day. Scratch that, she wasn’t having a good _week_ , or even a good life. Well, maybe that last one was a bit of a stretch. Her life had actually taken a turn for the better in the past few years. Now she was 18, and no longer the insecure 14-year-old girl she was when she had donned the Ladybug miraculous for the first time. No more fake friends, bad authority figures, or supervillains—she had said goodbye to all those long ago.

Marinette still had her moments of insecurity, of course; especially coupled with her anxiety she had a tendency to overthink things. However, she had become more secure in the knowledge of her own ability and worth as a person. Those bad moments were few and far between—except, of course, today was one of those days.

Ever since she had become MDC, Marinette was thrust into the spotlight of the vicious world that was fashion. Being Jagged Stone’s personal designer and “honorary niece” garnered lots of attention, even though fans didn’t know the identity of the person behind the moniker. She regularly received commissions from celebrities, which meant her work was open for critique. Having to put herself out there each time was daunting to say the least; she would panic constantly when waiting to hear feedback about her work. Usually her hard work paid off, like it did a few weeks ago. The public’s response to Jagged Stone’s new tour concept and outfits was immense—people loved it, and it was the hot topic for the next week. Marinette was ecstatic at all the positive reactions her creations had garnered, but this meant more pressure to outdo herself next time. That wasn’t much of a problem, though. She knew with the right inspiration, she could do anything…

…Which is exactly what had her in this slump. As she had ranted to Chloe earlier that week, “ _I_ _have no inspiration! Zero, zip, zilch, nada! I can’t do this!!”_ The project in question was one of utmost importance: Jagged and Penny’s wedding outfits. Marinette had the honor of making the ensembles for their big day, but the problem resided in how little time she had to do so. Despite being a superstar, Jagged only wanted to invite a select few friends, and so did Penny. They wanted to get married as soon as possible, and because they didn’t need to compromise for a large wedding, they planned on having their ceremony in a few months.

After calling Chloe in a panic, the blonde had yelled at her to get it together and “take a break for once, Dupain-Cheng!” She then suggested going to Jagged’s hometown of Gotham for inspiration. Flying to another country just to design a few outfits would be overkill for anyone else, but this was Jagged they were talking about—practically everything about him was overkill.

So here she was, waiting in the line of a small cafe only a few blocks from Jagged’s expensive Gotham penthouse. The barista had looked terrified at the amount of caffeine she had ordered, but Marinette was too tired to care. She was on the verge of a frustration-fueled breakdown, and the fact that it started pouring on her walk to the cafe made her feel even more miserable than she did before.

The outfit she had haphazardly thrown on that morning was still fashionable enough for a designer to be seen in, but her mood dragged the style factor down a few notches, and so did the fact that she was soaked in rain. The only good thing to come out of the situation was due to her incessant need to plan things. The superheroine had maken sure to take precautions with her sketchbook to keep it safe, which seemed to have paid off since it was the only currently dry part of her. _At least the cafe is nice,_ she mused. It was warm and at an ideal capacity: not too many people, not too little. There was small table in the corner that looked like the perfect place to relax; it was right next to two boys who looked her age.

Out of the haze of her mind, Marinette vaguely registered her name being called and walked over towards the counter, trying to muster a smile for the workers. Her drink was warm, and the caffeine seemed to be calling her name. Huh. Maybe that was a sign that she really _did_ need to take a break. She spun around, ready to walk to the table she had scouted earlier, and promptly slammed straight into another body.

The stumble was disorienting. She yelped, trying to process what had just happened. A sense of dread filled her as she caught on, and her brain screamed _nononothiscan’tbehappening_ before she forced her gaze upwards to see a man wearing a _very_ expensive looking three-piece suit and half of her drink. He had dark brown hair, similar-colored eyes and looked less than pleased with her, to say the very least. The moment Marinette snapped out of her stupor and words started tumbling out of her mouth, nearly at an unintelligible speed. “OhmygodI’msosorryitwasanaccident! I swear I didn’t mean to, I’m just really clumsy and I didn’t think anyone would be there and wow you look really mad—I mean, sorry for babbling, I’m shutting up now!” Her outburst did not look appreciated. The man glowered even harder, and Marinette shrunk under his look. _I should have just stayed in Paris._

-

“Hey,” Conner said, trying to catch his boyfriend’s attention. “Tim,” he prodded again. “Tiiim?”

The man in question was staring somewhere behind him, concentrating on something with narrowed eyes. Conner sighed, knowing that once Tim’s sights were set it was hard to get him to focus on anything else. Today was one of the rare days they had time off between their superhero work and Tim being co-CEO of Wayne Enterprises. The two planned a nice coffee shop date, yet it seemed like one of them wasn’t too engaged at the moment. Tim was gazing past Conner’s shoulder, looking increasingly vexed by the moment.

Conner narrowed his eyes and expanded his super-hearing so he could listen to what was going on behind him without being too obvious. After a few seconds of observation, it was evident that whatever argument transpiring was not pleasant. A girl had seemingly spilled coffee on someone, and the guy on the receiving end was more than miffed. The hero was about to turn around and evaluate the situation more—see if he needed to step in before anything came to blows—before he noticed Tim’s eyes on him. “You heard that too, right?” his boyfriend asked. Conner nodded, and the two came to a silent agreement. _Keep an eye on them._

-

Marinette had always cursed her clumsiness, but it was moments like this she especially hated it. You’d think after a lifetime of being bullied some higher power would at least take pity on her. But of course once she was finally starting to get over her insecurity, her clumsiness had come back to trip her up. Literally. She couldn’t escape it no matter how hard she tried, and right now _she_ just wanted to escape. The businessman she had just babbled apologies to was opening his mouth to retort, but Marinette got there faster. “I’m _really, really_ sorry. I can pay for your dry-cleaning! Or for your suit. Or both.” She squeaked out the last few words, wincing and desperately hoping he just had a really bad case of RBF.

“Do you really think someone like you can afford _this_?” the stranger sneered.

Okay. Well, at least she knew her RBF theory was wrong. She bristled once she registered what he had said, mortification making way for irritation. It was eerily similar to the insults Chloe used to hurl at her. “Excuse me?” she asked in disbelief.

He turned his nose up, looking down at her like she was nothing more than the dirt beneath his feet. “Do you even know who I am? Even if you worked for the rest of your life you couldn’t afford to breathe the same air as me. You’re nothing but a peasant.”

“Because of your pathetic blunder, I’m going to be late to an important business meeting. I ought to sue you for all you’re worth! Though from what I’ve seen, that’s not saying much.”

Oh, this guy was getting it. Marinette straightened and used her more authoritative voice—the one she normally reserved for Ladybug but used whenever she was dealing with pompous rich people. She scowled. “I don’t know who you are, and frankly I don’t care. I _said_ it was an accident. I apologized!” She paused and took a deep breath. _Be the bigger person,_ she chided herself, the same words she had heard constantly back in Collège Françoise Dupont. “Despite your rudeness, I’m still willing to replace your suit. Or if you prefer, I could design one instead.”

“How could you possibly be a designer when you can’t even walk correctly? Your incompetence and complete lack of self-awareness is what caused this catastrophe in the first place. The fact that you think your amaetur scribbles could ever be up to par with my standards is laughable.”

Ouch. If it was any other day, Marinette would have stood up for herself—she’d never tolerate someone speaking to her like that. Except things had been different recently, and the past few weeks had her feeling more miserable and insecure than ever. Before she knew it, she had recoiled and her expression morphed into hurt. She tried to force on a brave face, but the incensed stranger’s words had struck a chord, and a solid blow to her self-esteem had been done.

Tears started rapidly pooling in her eyes, and Marinette dimly realized that the man was still hurling insults at her. She wanted nothing more than to sink into the earth and disappear at that very moment.

“Hey!”

Shaking herself out of her stupor, she snapped to attention, fully prepared to hear more yelling. Once she looked up, however, she realized the voice hadn’t come from the stranger she had spilled coffee all over—it was from one of the two boys she had noticed sitting together near the corner table. They were both standing up in defensive positions and glaring at someone. Marinette was relieved to notice the target of their anger wasn’t herself.

“Calm down. She said it was an accident,” the one on the right spoke. He was the shorter of the two, and his icy blue eyes were glaring daggers at the businessman, who scowled in return.

“You know her?”

“No, but I know what she did was a genuine mistake. There’s no reason to be rude about it.”

The guy did not like this response, apparently. “Why don’t you stay out of my business and let the _real_ adult handle it?”

An imperceptible glint appeared in the boy’s blue eyes. “Mr. Steven Worth, correct?” He didn’t wait for an answer, instead giving the man an obvious once-over and raising a brow as if to say ‘I’m not impressed’ before extending his arm for a handshake.

“Tim Drake of Wayne Enterprises,” he stated, enjoying the way the man’s face drained. “I do believe that meeting won’t be necessary. At our company we value character, that which you seem to be lacking.”

Marinette watched as Mr. Worth spluttered in protest. His attempt to backtrack his words was futile since the boy— _Tim,_ she reminded herself—finished him with a final phrase. “Guess you won’t be needing to replace that suit after all.”

And with that, she felt a hand slip inside hers and pull her away.

-

When Tim saw a girl spilling her drink on someone in his favorite cafe, he never thought she would turn out to be MDC. Of course he already knew who she was; he had figured it out long before he first commissioned her. Conner had always known of his obsession with the designer due to the amount of time he spent talking about her. He didn’t imagine he would ever have to save her from a snobby business executive, or that he’d impulsively pull her away with him, but here they were.

He hoped he wasn’t forcing her to come with them, and that Bruce wouldn’t be mad at him for telling off a potential business partner. His adoptive father had a strong dislike for those kinds of people, though, so Tim doubted he’d mind. When they got back to the table, the commotion in the cafe had receded back to its normal buzz. Tim let go of Marinette’s hand, and he could tell Marinette was embarrassed by the way she shuffled her feet awkwardly.

“Um, thanks for helping me out back there,” she said.

“No problem.”

There was a pause, and Conner spoke up for the first time. “Do you want to sit with us?”

Her face flushed; she probably thought they were taking pity on her.

“It’s okay! You’ve already done so much. I don’t want to intrude.”

“You’re not intruding,” he stated. “I’m sure Tim is dying to talk to you anyways.”

 _“Conner,”_ he hissed, elbowing his boyfriend in the side.

Marinette’s bluebell eyes sparked with recognition. “Tim Drake, right? You’ve commissioned me before.” A pause. “Wait, didn’t I make that shirt?”

He grinned sheepishly. “That you did.”

And like a silent consensus, the three pulled out their chairs and sat down.

-

Marinette was screwed. Not only did she have to be rescued by someone, but that someone turned out to be _someones_ who were actually very cute boys her age. Of course today of all days was when she had to finally crack under the pressure. She wasn’t ashamed of crying in front of people, but she also didn’t want that to be her first impression. The two seemed to understand that, though. She found it unfair how they were both ridiculously good-looking with great personalities.

Tim was taller than her by a few inches (Marinette herself being 5”2’) and had a lean build. His shiny hair was grown out and outfit groomed; despite his casual wear he retained an air of sophistication. His pale skin, calculating blue eyes and delicate features combined to make a very stunning face that she couldn’t look away from. But his personality spoke volumes more; through their conversation she learned he was incredibly smart and driven. She had already gotten a glimpse of his personality due to their email correspondence, but it was much easier to connect without miles in between them.

Conner, on the other hand, was a contrast to Tim. He was taller than Tim with a bulkier build and messy hair that somehow looked perfectly tousled. Rather than going for a preppy style, his outfit consisted of more edgy elements like a leather jacket with spikes. His eyes were an even lighter blue than Tim’s, a color Marinette never thought was possible. He spoke considerably less than his friend but was still intelligent and articulated.

They started by discussing business-related things, and once things started getting considerably less tense their conversation flowed more naturally. It was comfortable and the most relaxed she’d felt in a while; Marinette was finally having fun. But despite her feelings of contentment, she couldn’t help but feel like she was interrupting. There was _something_ important she had forgotten in the midst of all the excitement. The two made her feel so welcome, she didn’t want to intrude upon their dynamic—

“Oh. My. God.”

The two stopped talking and looked over at her, concerned.

Before they could ask what was wrong, she started rambling. “OhmygoshI’msosorryIswearIdidn’tknow—”

“Woah, woah, slow down. What’s wrong?” Tim asked.

“You guys were on a date, right? That’s what I was forgetting. Conner’s your boyfriend!”

Marinette failed to notice the two exchange amused glances and a nod of agreement.

“I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean to interrupt. I can leave right now,” she said, gathering her bag.

“You weren’t interrupting,” Conner said. “It’s fine.”

“Yeah, Marinette. Stay,” added Tim.

She looked torn, about to push in her chair, but she knew she didn’t want to leave.

“I don’t want to cut into your time. I shouldn’t be here,” she protested weakly.

“Actually,” Tim leaned forward. “I think you fit right in.”

After a beat, Marinette caved. She relaxed and sat back down, and the three jumped right back into conversation.

And sitting there in a Gotham cafe with two boys and the rain pouring down, Marinette changed her mind. _Maybe this isn’t such a bad day after all._


End file.
